The Port Perry Grain Elevator

The Port Perry Grain Elevator. . , The Grain Elevator was built in 1874 by influential grain merchant George Currie, on the waterfront at the foot of Queen Street. Like the hundreds or even thousands that once dotted Canada's prairie landscape, it was used as a storehouse for grain. At 71 feet in height, this elevator, like most in eastern Canada, was shorter but more rectangular in plan than those in the west. , This historic building's significant features are its stone foundation measuring 24 inches thick, a frame constructed of huge pine beams, an exterior covered with 2 inch x 8 inch lumber to a height of 26 feet which was originally painted rusty red, and a cupola height of 13 feet. The mill contained 18 large bins which could hold over 2,000 bushels of grain each. , The mill has had eight owners in its history. The last owner of the elevator, to operate it as a mill, was Maple Leaf Mills (Master Feeds) from 1962 until closing in 1979. , The elevator has escaped destruction from fire on many occasions, the most miraculous of these came in 1883 and 1884 when two major fires in less than a year, destroyed Port Perry's entire commercial core. Only the grain elevator, located feet away from the burning buildings on Water Street, escaped unscathed, making this structure the oldest surviving building in downtown Port Perry. , “The Old Mill” as it is called by the locals was purchased by the Township of Scugog in 2009 completing their ownership of the waterfront block in which it sits.